30 in 30: Customize Your Resume

We’re going to tell you something that’s very important and you have to promise not to get mad at us: Don’t just write one resume and think you’re done! If you don’t customize yourself for each job, you’re only shooting yourself in the foot. Amid a sea of qualified job hunters, some of whom are experienced career-changers rather than fresh-faced recent grads, you need to put your best foot forward for each position. If you’re applying across different industries or sending in an application in reference to a job that spells out very specific requirements, make sure your resume (as well as your cover letter and interview responses, for that matter) speak to directly to the needs of the company. Check out these traits to stress by industry to help you get an idea of what characteristics are generally valued, particularly if the job description doesn’t give you much to work with. However, you should also read and reread the job description and makes sure you pitch yourself as a solution to the company’s hiring needs rather than just another applicant with a good background.

Looking for a job in the new year? Be sure to stay on top of all the essential job-hunting tips from Gradspot's new series, 30 in 30: The Insider's Guide to Job-Hunting in '09. If you'd like to share your own tips with the Gradspot community, email 30in30 [at] gradspot [dot] com with your tip, your occupation/industry of interest, and your name as you'd like it to appear on the site.